Hydrothermal Treatment Enhances Antioxidant Activity and Intestinal Absorption of Rutin in Tartary Buckwheat Flour Extracts

Abstract

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is widely used in the food industry due to its functionality, which is related to its high rutin content. However, rutin is easily converted into quercetin by an endogenous enzyme during processing, resulting in a bitter taste. In this study, rutin-enriched Tartary buckwheat flour extracts (TBFEs) were obtained by hydrothermal treatments (autoclaving, boiling, and steaming), and their antioxidant activity was evaluated in human intestinal cells. The intestinal absorption of the hydrothermally treated TBFEs was also investigated using in vitro models of intestinal barriers and an ex vivo model of intestinal absorption. The results demonstrated that all of the hydrothermally treated TBFEs had increased rutin, total polyphenol, and total flavonoid contents, which enhance the in vitro and intracellular radical scavenging activities. Antioxidant enzyme activity, cellular uptake efficiency, in vitro intestinal transport efficacy, and ex vivo intestinal absorption of the hydrothermally treated TBFEs were also enhanced compared with those of native TBFE or standard rutin. These findings suggest the promising potential of hydrothermally treated TBFEs for a wide range of applications in the functional food industry.

Pharmacokinetics and Protective Effects of Tartary Buckwheat Flour Extracts against Ethanol-Induced Liver Injury in Rats

“…Rutin-enriched TB flours were obtained after three different hydrothermal treatments (autoclaving, boiling, or steaming) performed at Sejong University, as previously described [ 15 ]. Native and hydrothermally treated TB flours (10 g) were extracted in 200 mL of 70% ethanol and sonicated (Bransonic 5800, Branson Ultrasonics, Danbury, CT, USA) at 40 °C for 30 min as previously reported [ 13 , 18 ]. The supernatants were used for further study after centrifugation (14,000× g ) for 20 min at 4 °C, followed by evaporation at 65 °C to volatilize the ethanol solution and to obtain a three-fold concentrated solution for cell and animal experiments.…”

“…Our previous study reported the enhancement of rutin content in TBFEs through hydrothermal treatments (autoclaving, boiling, or steaming). In addition, we also reported elevated antioxidant activity and intestinal absorption of TBFEs in a cultured cell line and in an ex vivo small intestinal sac model, respectively [ 18 ]. It was found that antioxidant activity was highly associated with rutin content [ 18 ].…”

“…In addition, we also reported elevated antioxidant activity and intestinal absorption of TBFEs in a cultured cell line and in an ex vivo small intestinal sac model, respectively [ 18 ]. It was found that antioxidant activity was highly associated with rutin content [ 18 ]. There was also a significant enhancement in antioxidant activity, cellular uptake, and ex vivo intestinal transport efficiency of hydrothermally treated TBFEs compared with native TBFE or standard rutin [ 18 ].…”

“…It was found that antioxidant activity was highly associated with rutin content [ 18 ]. There was also a significant enhancement in antioxidant activity, cellular uptake, and ex vivo intestinal transport efficiency of hydrothermally treated TBFEs compared with native TBFE or standard rutin [ 18 ].…”

Breeding Buckwheat for Increased Levels of Rutin, Quercetin and Other Bioactive Compounds with Potential Antiviral Effects

“…A new Tartary buckwheat variety with lower rutinosidase activity was recently bred in Japan [36][37][38][39][40]. The motivation for this was to produce Tartary-buckwheat-based food products (e.g., bread, noodles) that contain considerably more rutin than quercetin, in order to achieve more acceptable foods (i.e., less bitter) from Tartary buckwheat [41][42][43][44][45]. Furthermore, the consumption of rutin-rich foods offers a feasible approach for the improvement of human nutrition, due to the known protective health effects of rutin.…”